How to use this site
Find, Inspect, Download, and Use any of the hundreds of GIS data layers that are available on this site.
Choose a topic to learn more.
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Find GIS Data
Search for GIS data layers and related items using keywords.
Explore data by thematic categories.
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Inspect GIS Data
Visualize data on maps and in charts.
Read data tables.
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Download GIS Data
Pick a file format.
Choose full or filtered data sets.
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Use GIS data
Create a webmap.
Create a Story Map. (ArcGIS Online members.)
Link to data services.
Please note that this GIS Open Data site is a cloud-based platform provided by Esri. As Esri implements revisions and enhancements, you may see differences between site details and what we illustrate and describe in these help pages.
The "See more…" buttons below will take you to the relevant Esri documentation for each of the main topics on this page.
Find GIS Data
Search by keyword
In the search box under the site title type a term such as "temperature" or "precipitation." Select an item from the drop-down list that appears as you type and then inspect it, or finish typing and enter your full search term. You'll receive a page of results which correspond to your term. Select one to inspect.
Explore by thematic category
On the site's title page, scroll down to find a row of icons that represent these climate themes:
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Snowpack
- Streamflow
- Sea Level
Select one of the icons to generate a page of items that have been curated for that particular theme. Select one to inspect.
Item types: GIS layers and more
This site sorts GIS data layers and other items into three categories identified by icons which you will see in your search results.
- Data
- Documents
- Apps & Maps
To view a map or app from this site, click the View Metadata link, and on the destination page look for the button labeled "Open in Map Viewer" or "View App."
Filter and sort search results
A page of search results will have a variety of "Filter By" options on the left. The filter types are Capabilities, Sharing, Content Type, and Tags.
Above the upper right corner of the first item on the results page is a drop-down list which you can use to sort the items by Relevance, Most Recent, or Name.
Inspect GIS Data
When you select a data layer to inspect you will be taken to a page which displays a variety of information about just that one layer. The page will be headed by the name of the layer. Immediately below the name will be a simple map which displays the data features in plain, default symbology: blue polygons, lines, or points, depending on the feature type. Below the map, you will find a description of the data and a variety of tabs and hyperlinks.
Visualize data on a map
On the map, hover over the features to see values from one of the attribute fields. Select a feature to see a pop-up that shows all of the attribute values for that feature.
Click in the search box on the map to access some additional map visualization options, such as "Filter records by value" or "Analyze by field." The latter is especially useful because if you pick one of the climate data fields—a temperature field, for example—the map will be resymbolized according to that field and the hover values will be derived from that field.
Read data tables
The information area below the map is provided in two sections headed by tabs: Overview and Data.
Select the Data tab to inspect a tabular view of the data. Note that the data attribute columns can all be filtered. For example, given a temperature-related data layer you could set a filter to display only polygons that represent a temperature above a certain value.
"Smart mapping"
When you choose to analyze by field, the features will be displayed on the map in a manner that is appropriate to the kinds of values that are in the attribute field. For example, a range of temperature values cause the polygons on the map to be drawn in a range of graduated colors. Esri's term for this is smart mapping.
Ready-made maps for inspection
Within this Open Data site you can find interactive web maps that have been constructed for you and which include all of the related layers for a particular climate metric, such as Average Winter Temperature. Ready- made maps are identified with this icon: .
Download GIS Data
Download a full dataset
The dataset details pages in this Climate Change Open Data site include a button for downloading data which is simply labeled "Download." You will find it to the right side of the page just below the map. The button is available on both the "Overview" and "Data" tabbed pages.
When you click the Download button, a drop-down list will appear from which you can choose one of four file formats.
- Spreadsheet
- KML
- Shapefile
- File Geodatabase
Choose a file format by clicking on it in the drop-down menu which will initiate a download to your computer.
Depending on your computer operating system and browser settings, the file may download automatically, or you may be prompted to pick a file location before beginning the download. You will need software that can open or extract compressed files that have a .zip extension, and software which can utilize the particular file format.
Open data site file formats
- Spreadsheet
Tabular information only (i.e., no spatial map information) in a CSV file format which can be opened and used as a text file or a spreadsheet. - KML (Keynote Markup Language)
Tabular and spatial map information in an open standard which can be used in many different viewers, such as Google Earth and ArcGIS Explorer. - Shapefile
Tabular and spatial map information in a multicomponent fileset which can be used by many open-source and proprietary CAD and GIS software packages. - File Geodatabase
Esri's modern storage format for spatial datasets.
Use GIS Data
If you are used to working with GIS data and software, you already know what to do with the datasets that you download from this site. The information below describes some ways that anyone can use the data.
Web mapping with ArcGIS Online (AGO)
This GIS Open Data site gives you ways to use GIS data directly without having to work with downloaded files, i.e., without a need for specialized GIS software. You can use links provided on the dataset details pages under the About heading to view and inspect data in the AGO webmap viewer.
The datasets that are available in this site have been pre-configured with data classifications and map styles based on corresponding maps in the 2015 Puget Sound State of Knowledge report. These are the classifications and styles you will see when the datasets are loaded as layers in an AGO webmap. Once in the webmap, you can modify data classes and map styles, and even add more map layers from a variety of sources. However, to save your webmap, you must have either a free ArcGIS Public Account, or an ArcGIS Online for Organizations member account.
If you have an ArcGIS public account, or an ArcGIS Online member account, you can load a dataset from this site into an ArcGIS Online Story Map.
How to get a free ArcGIS Online account
- Go to the ArcGIS sign-in page.
- Find and click the link that says "Create an account."
- You'll be taken to an Esri website page headed "Create an ArcGIS Account."
- Look for the option that says Create an ArcGIS Public Account.
- Click the link, fill out the form, and submit it.
- Congratulations! You’re ready to start making your own web maps.
- Explore the extensive AGO help documentation and tutorials.
If you work for or belong to an entity that has an ArcGIS Online for Organizations account, contact your account administrator to request a member account.
Ready-made maps for inspection
Within this Open Data site you can find interactive web maps that have been constructed for you and which include all of the related layers for a particular climate metric, such as Average Winter Temperature. Ready- made maps are identified with this icon: .
About
Data for this platform were provided by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and are based on analyses conducted for the 2015 Puget Sound State of Knowledge report.
Contact Us
For issues related to accessing GIS data on this site or other feedback, email GISCenter@kingcounty.gov.
For questions related to King County’s efforts to address climate change, email climatechange@kingcounty.gov.
Copyright 2019. King County.
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